End structure for railway cars



July 14, 1925. 1,545,982

v. E. SISSON END STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 1, 1920 2Sheets-Sheet l Inventor 97270 53133012 Alto/12g I July 14, 1925.

V. E. SISSON END STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 1, 1920 2Sheets-Sheet 2 F'IG.2

FIG.3 V

Patented July 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VINTO'N E. SISSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO \VALTER P. MURPHY,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

END STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

This invention relates to improvements in end structures for railwaycars and more particularly to sheet metal ends for freight cars.

The end of a freight car is subject to very severe shocks and stresseson account of the tendency of the cargo to shlft when the train startsor stops and in switching and also to the tendency of the superstructureof the car to weave while the train is in motion. To strengthen thistype of car, ends have been constructed of one or more sheets or panelsof metal, usually steel, which sheets or panels are formed withcorrugations for rigidifying' the structure to more readily meet impactsfrom without, cargo thrusts from within, and the racking strains fromweaving.

It is the object of this invention to provide an end of the sheet metaltype which is adaptable to either wooden car frames or all metal freightcars, and that may be employed for strengthening gondola cars, box cars,or other similar cars. It is a further object of this invention toprovide the sheets or panels of the end with corrugations of particularcontour that from their form and length are peculiarly adapted to meetthe stresses and strains already described. While the corrugations arepreferably formed parallel, their relation .to each other or theirdirection is immaterial, likewise the corrugations may be all pressedfrom one side of the sheet of metal or may be formed fromopposite'sides, as desired.

vVhile the'preferred form of this invention is illustrated upon, theaccompanying sheets of drawings, it is to be understood that minordetailchangesmay be made without departing from the scope thereof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in end elevation of a box car illustrating anembodiment of this invention.

' Figure 2 1s a view in horizontal section through the end taken on the11116 2-2 of Figure 1, illustrating the attachment of the end to a carhaving a wooden frame.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating the attachment ofthe end to a metal box car.

Figure 4; is an enlarged detail view in vertical section taken on theline 1-4 of F igure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail plan view of a fragmentof the corner ofan end sheet or panel.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line 6- 6 ofFigure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows, with the parts beyondthe line shown partly in perspective and partly in section.

The boX car end, as illustrated, comprises two or more sheets or panels1, preferably of pressed steel, which are attached to the corner posts,end plate and end sill in the usual manner. Figure 2 illustrates a meansof attaching the panels to a wooden corner post 2 by fianging the endsof the panel and se curing the flanges to the post, while Figure 3lllustrates the attachment to a metal car in which the corner post 3 isusually in the form of an angle iron which secures the end in the mannershown.

A plurality of parallel strengthening corrugations are formed in eachpanel 1 and merged at their ends into the plane of the panel so that thepanel has a flat marginal portion about its edges. The particularcontour of the corrugation is illustrated in the enlarged sectionalview, Figure 4. It is to be noted that each corrugation is formed withmain walls 4 substantially at right angles to the plane of thepanelwhich are connected by portions5 lying in two or more planes at an angleto each other. Each corrugation is wider than the distance betweenparallel planes 31 and 32 drawn through the outermost parts of thecorrugated panel. The greater the distance between the main walls 1, thegreater the width of the connecting portions 5, and consequently moremetal is positioned away from the neutral axis of the section, resultingin a higher. section modulus, meaning, of course, a strongercorrugation, theoretically The connecting portion (5) is a (secondary)beam and must transmit the load imposed upon it to the main walls 44. Inactual practice, a flat connecting portion will dofleet and not performits function if the main walls are spaced very far apart. The apexed orarched construction increases the capacity of the connecting member totransmit thrusts to the adjacent main walls and thereby permits the mainwalls to be spaced further apart, thus obtaining a higher sec tionmodulus, as stated above. A wooden end lining 6 is preferably providedon the inner side of the end and a plurality oi": filler blocks 7 arereceived within and a tached to a number of the corrugations, as shown,to which the wooden lining is nailed. The width or each corrugation ispreferably constant throughout its length and the depth also preferablyremains constant throughout the greater part but gradually diminishes ateach end until the corrugation merges into the plane of the panel, asshown in Figures 5 and 6.

In theory, the ideal form of corrugation for this purpose would haveflat main walls extending at right angles to the plane of the panel ashaving the greatest strength to resist the stresses imposed on car ends.In practice, in pressing corrugations from a panel by dies, it is veryditlicult to form the main walls in this relation. The angular portions5 between the walls 4 act in the manner of an arch or bridge wherebystresses occurring at the apex are distributed through the angularportions to the main walls which, as above said, are most advantageouslyarranged to meet such stresses. The majority of impacts received by theend of a car are from within and are caused by shifting of the cargo.The cargo thrusts are first received on the wooden lining 6' of the endand as this lining is continuous and is in contact with the apices ofthe respective corrugations, the thrusts will be transmitted from thelining 6 through the angular portions 5 of the corrugations and bedistributed through the main walls 4. The lining 6 distributes the shockof the shifting hiding to several corrugations. However, even ii thelining was not present the portions 5 would distribute the stresses tothe main walls 4.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A metal panel for car ends having a plurality of corrugations formedtherein, with the main walls of the corrugations formed substantially atright angles to the plane of the panel, connected by portions lying inplanes at an angle to each other.

2. A metal panel for car ends having a plurality of corrugations ofconstant width throughout their length formed therein, said corrugationshaving main walls formed substantially at right angles to the plane ofthe panel connected by portions lying in planes at an angle to eachother.

3. A. metal panel for car ends having a plurality of corrugations ofconstant width throughout their length and merged into the panel at theends with the main walls of the corrugations formed substantially atright angles to the plane of the panel connected by portions lying inplanes at an angle to each other.

4. A metal panel for car ends having a plurality of corrugations spacedapart distances equal to their width and having main walls formedsubstantially at right angles to the plane of the panel connected byportions lying in planes at an angle to each other.

5. An end structure for railway cars comprising one or more metalpanels, corner posts and means for attaching the panels to the posts,said panels being formed with a plurality of corrugations having mainwalls arranged substantially at right angles to the plane of the panelconnected by portions lying in planes at an angle to each other, an endlining on the inner side engaging the connecting portions of therespective corrugations whereby cargo thrusts are transmitted throughthe lining to the apices of the connecting portions and distributedthereby to the main walls.

6. An end structure for railway cars comprising one or more metalpanels, corner posts and means for attaching the panels to the posts,said panels being formed with a plurality of corrugations having mainwalls arranged substantially at right angles to the plane of the panelconnected by portions lying in planes at an angle to each other, an endlining on the inner side engaging the connecting portions of therespective corrugations whereby cargo thrusts-are transmitted throughthe lining to the apexes of the connecting portions and distributedthereby to the main walls, and filler blocks received within and securedto some of the corrugations for attaching the lining to the end.

7. A metal panel for car ends having a plurality of corrugations formedtherein,

with the main walls of the corrugations formed substantially at rightangles to the plane of the panel connected by portions lying in planesat an angle to each other, the width of each corrugation being greaterthan the distance between parallel planes drawn through the outermostparts of the corrugated panel.

8. A metal panel for car ends having a plurality of corrugations ofconstant widththroughout their length formed therein, sai d corrugationshaving main walls formed substantially at right angles to the plane ofthe panel connected by portions lyingin planes at an angle to eachother, the width, of each corrugation being greater than the distancebetween parallel planes drawn through the outermost parts of thecorrugated panel.

9. A metal panel for car ends havinga plurality of corrugations ofconstant width throughout their length and merged into the panel at theends with the main walls of the corrugations formed substantially atright angles to the plane of the panel connected by portions lying inplanes at an angle to each other, the width of each corrugation beinggreater than the distance between parallel planes drawn through theoutermost parts of the corrugated panel.

10. A metal panel for car ends having a plurality of corrugations spacedapart dis tances equal to their width having main walls formedsubstantially at right angles to the plane of the panel connected byportions lying in planes at an angle to each other, the width of eachcorrugation being greater than the distance between parallel planesdrawn through the outermost parts of the corrugated panel.

11. A metal panel for car ends having a corrugation of constant widththroughout the major portion of its length and merged into the panel atthe ends with the main walls of the corrugation formed substantially atright angles to the plane of the panel, connected by portions lying inplanes at an angle to each other.

12. A metal panel for car ends having a corrugation of constant widththroughout the major portion of-its length and merged into the panel atthe ends with the main walls of the corrugation formed substantially atright angles to the plane of the panel,connected by portions lying inplanes at an angle to each other, the width of the corrugation beinggreater than the distance between parallel planes drawn through theoutermost part of the corrugated panel.

VINTON E. SISSON.

